Greg Popek
December 6, 2023
Recipes

Persian za'atar burger

Makes 10 x 145g burgers

Za’atar Bun Ingredients

850g strong white flour
20g caster sugar
12g Fermipan dry yeast
14g salt
550g lukewarm water
40g olive oil
7g Dijon mustard
15g plant-based yoghurt
15g za’atar spiced

Zhug Relish Ingredients
25g flat-leaf parsley
75g coriander
25g mint
25g oregano
1 clove of garlic
1 green chilli
5g coriander seeds
5g cumin seeds
3 cardamom pods
1 red onion
1 lemon, plus zest
1 lime, plus zest
1 orange, plus zest
1 tomato
150g olive oil
4g sugar
4g salt

Mango Apple Amba Ingredients

4 apples, peeled and chopped
1 mango, diced
3 cardamon pods
1 green chilli
3g mustard seeds
3g cumin seeds
3g whole coriander seeds
5g fenugreek
1 bay leaf
5g turmeric
5g sugar
3g sea salt
10g white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
20ml olive oil

Cranberry, Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate Slaw Ingredients

100g cranberries
500g brussels sprouts
30g pomegranate
15g sumac
5g sea salt
1 satsuma zest, plus juice

Shitake mushroom burgers x 10

 

Method

To make the buns, activate yeast in lukewarm water and leave to rest for approx. 15 minutes.

Add flour, salt, sugar and mix everything together. Rest for 10 minutes to autolyze.

Add olive oil and start kneading until smooth and elastic.

Lightly grease the ball of dough with some additional oil and place it back into a bowl and leave to proof.

Bulk proof for approx. 1 hour until the dough doubles in size.

Divide the dough into 10 equal balls approx. 145g. Cover and rest the dough balls on the baking parchment for another 20 minutes.

Mix vegan yogurt and mustard together and brush over the buns. Now sprinkle Za’atar on top of the buns. Baked at 195˚C for approx. 15 minutes until golden.

To make the zhug relish, toss the coriander, cumin and cardamom in a frying pan until the seeds darken (approx. 5 minutes).

Place the seeds in the blender and blitz them to a fine powder. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend everything together.

To make the mango apple amba, place a saucepan over a low heat and fry seeds and cardamom pods until darkened, then add olive oil.

Add into the pan all the remaining ingredients and cook for approx. 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down for approx. 5 minutes. Then place in the blender and blitz until smooth consistency.

Chargrill or roast the burger as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Thinly slice the brussels sprouts, season with sea salt and sumac. Add pomegranate seeds, cranberries, satsuma zest and juice and macerate for 20 minutes.

To serve, cut the bun in half, place the bottom bun on the plate and top with 2tbsp of apple and mango amba. Place the chargrilled burger on top of the bun, top with slaw and zhug relish. Place the remaining bun on the top of the burger.